


Took a chance

by imadreamysoul, ImpossibleHumanParadise



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Child Neglect, Crime Fighting, Good Older Sibling Dean, Hurt Castiel, Hurt Dean, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Underage Prostitution, Kidnapping, M/M, Private Investigator Dean, Single Parent Castiel, Slow Build, Swearing, Torture, Violence, trigger warning
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-08
Updated: 2017-10-29
Packaged: 2018-12-13 00:51:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11748678
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/imadreamysoul/pseuds/imadreamysoul, https://archiveofourown.org/users/ImpossibleHumanParadise/pseuds/ImpossibleHumanParadise
Summary: When his daughter is taken, Castiel Novak does everything in his power to get her back. Including hiring a private investigator. But will this chance encounter turn his life upside down?





	1. Chapter 1

 

Castiel Novak hadn’t always been happy with his life. Life after graduation was a dull blur, in which all he did was read and work and eat, a monotonous repeat of routine day after day. All he knew was the work that had ensured him a good position as director for the local cultural organisation. After a while, it became tedious, but previsible, and he liked it that way. He hadn’t lost sight of his dreams yet, but he was always so busy, he couldn’t afford to slow down to really appreciate the beauty of everything he did.  

Of course, because apparently he was _too_ bored, life decided to drop a bombshell on him. 

The day shouldn’t have been anything special, really. It was his first day off in at least a week, and he was spending it around the house doing absolutely nothing, when there was a knock on the door.

Opening the door led to the biggest shock of his life. Standing in the doorway was a young woman around his age, whom he had dated in university. They had fooled around for a while, but it didn’t stick. Or so he had thought, until she showed up at his house with a little girl around 3 or 4 years old in her arms. On the ground next to her feet was a bag full of things ranging from clothes to toys, he would later find out. He barely had time to collect himself enough to ask ‘Amelia?’ when the child was put in his arms along with a letter and a file and Amelia made herself scarce. So he had no other option but to take the child inside, at least for the moment. 

The letter explained how the child was his, a drunken mistake from years ago, and that Amelia didn’t have the time or the money to raise a kid. The file contained the paternity test, the custody in his name and any other documentation he might need to raise her. And that was the day that Castiel officially became a single father to Claire, the sweet, blonde, little girl with huge, baby blue eyes. 

At first it was very hard to get used to the new situation but he quickly found out he loved his new role. Claire had brought a much needed change of pace in his life. He had to slow down, take breaks to take care of her and, consequently, of himself. She was the missing piece in his life. They led a very happy life together with the help of his siblings, Gabriel and Hannah, and Charlie, his best friend. And then life decided to be a bitch.  

The call he received when Claire was 7 years old was the one which turned his life on its head, making it probably the worst day of his life. During a moment of a teacher's distraction, some man kidnapped Claire from a playground. 

Castiel's life changed dramatically. He didn't let himself break down, instead, he desperately looked for his little girl. However, he was overstressed, had constant panic attacks and barely slept at night and he knew he wouldn’t be able to keep it up for much longer before he collapsed. He had not only called the police, as was expected in his situation, but also drove around town a few times a day, leaving pictures of Claire with his number anywhere he was allowed to put them up, in case anybody saw her. But it still felt insufficient, he _needed_ to do more. He spent some time surfing the net before he found the investigator.

 

*****

 

Dean hadn't always wanted to be a private investigator. He'd been trained by his father from a very young age and got enlisted in the army because of his advice. He had decided half-way through that he had a problem with authority and so, through a series of events, he left the army and became a private investigator, with his brother’s encouragement and help.  

However, with this kind of job, things like days off were something of a rarity. And of course it was on this day off that his phone rang.

“Winchester speaking.” he had noticed that the number had been connected through his brother’s private system, which meant a job. Usually, he would have ignored it, but his brother’s message a few seconds before ‘it’s a kid’, was all the information he needed. He made an exception for kids, since they deserved this the least. 

Dean could hear the man's breath hitch once he picked up his phone. The man cleared his throat and coughed, trying to stop his voice from shaking before speaking up.

"Good afternoon.” he swallowed nervously and Dean could tell he was on the verge of crying. Christ, how bad was it? “My name is Castiel Novak and... I believe I need your help. My d-" He took a second to collect himself again. "My daughter... She got kidnapped. It's been a week already and I'm so terrified she may be out of the country... or worse. That's... That's why I'm calling you. Help me find her." 

Dean sighed. He wanted to refuse, it was his day off. But by God, how could he refuse when the man was so obviously distressed and in need of assistance? And if he wasted any more time, who knew where his daughter could end up? No. He had to help now.

“Where would you like to meet?” 

The man sobbed in relief. “Wherever is easier for you, sir.”

“Well, which town are you in, first and foremost?”

“Pontiac, Illinois, sir.”

“Alright, hang tight, I’ll be there in four hours. Wait for me at the Black Tea cafe and don’t do anything until I get there.”

“Yes sir, thank you.”

“And stop calling me sir.” he sighed as he hung up. He walked to his car, thumbing the contact on speed dial. “Sammy, I need you to do a background check.” he unlocked the door to the Impala as his brother answered. “Castiel Novak. I need everything you have on him.”

 


	2. Chapter 2

Dean waited for Sam to finish his background check as he drove, trying to hurry without making it obvious that he was hurrying. Once he was sure the guy wasn’t actually a hitman or someone who was looking to cash in on the price on his head, Dean deemed it safe to hurry to Pontiac. Maybe this was reckless and somewhat impulsive, and completely unlike himself, but it was kid they were talking about. He was aware his brother didn’t always approve of his methods, but since he was the one who put his ass on the line constantly, he was the one who had the final vote in their clients. He just hoped that the 4 hours wasted on the road didn’t sign the girl’s fate.

Dean managed to make a record time of a little over 3 hours, hurrying out of the car and into the cafe. He looked around for the man whose description he had gotten from Sam, but it turned out not to be necessary since there was only one man who had 'Missing' posters on the table in front of him. He hurried over, taking a seat and giving the man a reassuring smile. “Castiel Novak?”

“Yes?”

“I’m Dean Winchester. You called me about your missing daughter?”

Castiel sat up straighter and nodded slowly, eyeing the man. “I did. Can you really help me?” he asked, disregarding any thoughts for safety. He just needed his daughter back, no matter the price. He was desperate.

Dean looked at the man before him and sighed. He didn’t answer. Instead, he got up, walking to the counter and returning with a tea and a coffee, placing the tea in front of him. Thankfully, Castiel had known to take a booth in the corner and Dean had a clear view of the door and the bar. The cafe could be best described as a hole-in-the-wall, but it was cozy and obviously run with care. The uncovered wooden beams and the low lights hid the drawbacks of the place, and the smell of food and tea reminded Dean of the better days before his mother lost her life in the fire that took their home.

“I can help you. I will do my best to get her home as soon as humanly possible.”

“Thank you so much.” he said, reaching forward and clasping Dean’s hands on an impulse. “Is there any way, any way at all, that I could help? Please,” he continued when he saw Dean’s dubious look, “she’s my daughter. I have to do something.”

“Is there any information you can give me on her? A picture, a description of what happened, as best as you can remember.”

Castiel nodded quickly. "Here, I've got few pictures of Claire. Claire is 7 years old... The teachers say she disappeared from the school playground at 1:30pm, on Monday exactly a week ago." The man pushed the pictures towards him with shaky hands.

Dean nodded in understanding as he looked them over. He pulled his laptop out. “What school is she enrolled in?”

“Uh, St John’s.” Castiel stumbled over the words in his haste to get them out quicker.

Dean found the address and then hacked the traffic cameras around the area. He noticed his client in the corner of his eyes, either biting his nails or sipping distractedly at his tea as he waited anxiously. He really loved his daughter, didn’t he? Dean wondered. A few minutes of rewinding the cams graced him with the video of the kidnapping. He zoomed in on the licence plate but couldn’t make it out. He screenshotted it and sent it to his brother for analysis, choosing to aim a reassuring smile at Castiel.

Cas had been watching the man’s screen subtly -or so he had hoped, but it was obvious he had been noticed. His eyes widened the more he watched Dean work, amazed by the skill he was displaying. After all, he had pulled up the recordings on 4 different traffic cameras and had even managed to rewind to a week ago. Castiel tried not to give it much thought. Claire was the priority at the moment, and he could not afford to be distracted by the man’s skill or the way his elegant fingers moved gracefully over the keyboard. He shook his head as if to dislodge the stray thought and focused back on the private investigator. Contrary to whatever the kidnappers may think, he wasn’t stupid. He was aware that the man he had hired was not working on legal avenues, but he could not bring himself to care. He needed his daughter back, damn the costs or the consequences.

Dean picked up his phone a second before it started to ring, like some kind of sixth sense where his brother was concerned. “Tell me you’ve got good news.”

“Great news actually. Not only did I manage to clear the licence plate, I got a shot of the kidnappers. Now, I used a high-profile program that clears the pixels and morphs them into the best high-definition-”

“English Sam, speak in English.”

“I have faces for your kidnappers.” he answered, exasperated. “I’m sending you the profiles and the matches they got on my facial recognition software.”

“Awesome, thanks.” he grinned and hung up just as a new window popped up on his screen. Dean turned the laptop towards Castiel just as the pictures opened. “Recognise any of these people?”

Castiel sat up straight when the phone rang, watching Dean nervously, unable to sit still. He needed information _yesterday_ so he felt it was his right to be a little bit irritated; he couldn't hear what Sam was saying. He imagined the person on the other side of the phone sitting in some dark and faraway room with his laptop and other tracking devices, weapons probably concealed around the room.

Noticing Dean's smile, Castiel relaxed slightly and leaned closer to take a look at the kidnappers. He was really impressed by how well Sam had managed to gather the needed evidence.

He squinted a bit at the screen, focusing and giving it proper consideration since he knew how important his answer was to the search, but soon he shook his head slowly. "No... Unfortunately, I've never seen them..." he said regretfully. He should’ve been able to do more, right? It was his daughter in danger, and yet he couldn’t be of much help in saving her. Was there any way he could be more pro-active? Maybe Dean would let him monitor the computer or something, anything to help.

“So what now? What can _we_ do?" He asked desperately, voice a band of steel. He was determined not to let them leave Castiel behind, he couldn’t sit and wait any longer.

“You don’t really have anything to do. I’m the extraction and retrieval specialist. I can’t bring you with me.”

“But why?”

“Because it’d only put you in danger.”

“I have to help. No, wait!” he clasped a hand over Dean’s wrist as he close his laptop. “You don’t understand. She’s my daughter. I can’t just sit around, waiting for answers. I’ve been doing that for a week and I can’t stand the hopelessness. Please. For the love of God, give me something to do!” he all but begged.

Dean’s jaw clenched as he looked the young man over. He took in the circles under his eyes and the messy hair, signs of restlessness and worry, and his demeanor softened. He could see where Castiel was coming from, if it had been his daughter, he would have wanted to be in the middle of the action as well. Cas -and who cared if it was unprofessional to give him a nickname, it was just in his head. Shut up- was obviously determined to be of some use, and who was Dean to refuse him?

“Alright. Fine. I’ll put you in contact with my brother and-”

“Your brother?” he interrupted. “I’m sorry, but what could your brother do to help?”

“My brother, _Sam_ , is a tech pro. He’s the one who monitors everything, who found your daughter’s kidnappers. So he can help quite a lot. Now, you will talk to him and he’ll probably let you monitor the action.”

“Oh…” he blushed. “Of course.” he cleared his throat in embarrassment. “Uhm, anyway. So… what’s the plan?”

“Well, I need to wait for Sam to find and send me the coordinates of where they are so-”

“Wait, he can do that?”

“Oh, well, see here,” he turned the laptop towards him, “once Sam figured out who they were and what car they were driving, he monitored their trajectory. There was enough internet around that he found and tapped into their phone. Now we’ll know where they went.”

“Oh, wow, that’s pretty amazing. And they’ll lead us to Claire?”

“They will lead _me_ there, yes. At least, that’s the plan.”

“And what can I do?”

“Uhm… you can monitor my movements once we’re locked onto their location.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means you’ll be safe with Sam at our base, _safely_ behind monitors and out of my way while I do my job.”

Castiel nodded reluctantly, feeling very emotional. “Thank you… It means a lot to me and I really trust you.” He almost choked out, his eyes red already. “I don’t know how you’re planning to do it on your own, I don’t even know if I want to know… I just need my baby girl back.”

Dean gave him a reassuring smile as he gathered his laptop. “Come on.”

“Where are we going?” Castiel asked as he scrambled to gather his fliers and follow him.

“No time like the present, correct? I’m bringing you over to our office and maybe Sam will have the coordinates by then.”

Once everything was packed in Dean’s muscle car, his pride and joy from what Cas had gathered, they were on their way to their office -wherever that may be. And no matter how much Dean had reassured him that he’d be back with his daughter in no time, Cas couldn’t help the feeling of dread that had taken residence in the pit of his stomach. A foreboding sensation that everything was about to go oh-so-very wrong.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time they reached their office, the feeling in Cas’s gut intensified to worrying levels. And that might have something -or more likely everything- to do with the coordinates Dean had received by encrypted text from his brother. The next half an hour was a blur of introductions, instructions and a flurry of movement, such a hectic display of activity that the next time Castiel was completely aware, he was sitting at a desk, watching the multiple screens installed on the wall, Sam typing away on the laptop next to him. Dean was nowhere to be seen.

“Where is Dean?” he wondered out loud as he turned towards Sam.

“He left as soon as he brought you here…? Are you okay? You know all this.”

“Yes, I do… I lost track of time, I guess.” Sam nodded and was about to turn to his computers when Cas spoke up again. “Where exactly is Dean right now though?”

“Hawaii.”

“Hawaii? What do you mean Hawaii?”

“That’s where the kidnappers are.” Sam was speaking slower than usual, staring at Castiel like he’d suddenly sprouted wings. Or like he was an extremely slow child. “Are you absolutely sure you’re alright?”

“My daughter is in Hawaii, Sam, I’m definitely not alright.” he snapped, before biting his lip in apology. “Sorry. I’m just… stressed.”

“It’s alright. Here.” Sam got up, filling up a nondescript mug with some coffee from the pot next to the screens, handing it to him. “It’ll be alright. Me and Dean are professionals.”

“I know that. It’s just hard not to worry.”

Sam nodded, reaching into a drawer and pulling out a box. He opened it, handing Castiel a small earbud. “Put it in.” he nudged him when he received a questioning look in return. “It’s an earbud. You’ll be able to hear Dean.”

Castiel obeyed, wanting as much information as he could possibly get, and was met with the lilting of a voice that had been obviously talking for a while. It was Dean. Cursing. Quite loudly.

“Uh, what’s going on?”

_“...stupid, idiotic death traps- oh hi Castiel.”_

“Dean? What happened?”

_“A plane happened.”_ he grumbled unhappily.

“I’m sorry, did you say a plane? Was my daughter on that plane?”

_“No. I just hate those flying metal death traps.”_

Castiel frowned. Dean was the professional he had hired to find his baby? If he was shaken up by a plane of all things, how was he supposed to rescue anyone?

_“I can feel you judging me through the silence.”_ Dean grumbled.

“I’m not judging you. But you are aware that planes are statistically the safest way to travel-”

_“If man was supposed to fly, he’d have wings.”_

“I suppose that’s true.” 

Castiel hadn’t realised that, through what could be called friendly banter, he’d been distracted from his self-appointed task of watching Sam and the monitors like a hawk. By the time he became aware of what he’d been doing, Sam and Dean were speaking in short, clipped sentences in what he thought was some kind of code, voices worried and rushed.

He desperately wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but he didn’t want to interrupt something important. However, he quickly grew impatient, and he snapped. “What’s going on? I’m kind of out of the loop.” he was lost, with no idea of what was actually going on.

_“We figured out the identity of the kidnappers.”_

“What? Who are they?”

Dean clenched his jaw, and even though Castiel couldn’t see him, he swore he could feel the tension through the earpiece.

“Dean. I have a right to know.”

_“An old ring of child prostitution.”_ Dean finally managed to admit, since he couldn’t ignore Castiel’s logic. He did have a right to know. He just wished he didn’t have to deliver the news.

“Oh my god.” Castiel gasped and paled deadly. He was suddenly thankful for the fact that he was already sitting down, otherwise he would have collapsed with how weak his knees suddenly were. He didn’t even realise he was shaking until Sam put a hand on his shoulder, but he couldn’t stop from rubbing his face maniacally. “She’s… she’s a child. She’s barely a child. No… no, no, no, no, no…” his voice drifted out without him even realising, until he was just mouthing the word over and over.

Sam crouched down in front of Cas’s chair since he was inconveniently tall for such a situation, putting a hand on his shoulder.

“Mr Novak? Castiel?” he called out, trying to shake him out of it and not really doing all that great.

It took Cas another couple of minutes to pull himself together, turning his hair into a disarrayed mess meanwhile. “Hmm?” he asked, somewhat distracted by the horrible scenarios running through his head.

“You wanna talk about it?” he offered slightly awkwardly, Dean blessedly silent on the other end of the line.

“There is nothing to talk about, other than that I will rip Dean apart if he returns without my daughter.” he snapped, hands clenching into tight fists.

_“Wouldn’t that be a nice welcome home?”_

“Well then, don’t fuck it up and it won’t have to come to pass, will it?”

_“I’m sorry, would you like my job? Cause if you think you can do it better than me, then by all means…”_

“No, you’re right. I’m sorry. I just want my baby back and away from those, those… I don’t know. I’m not thinking clearly...”

_“I promised, didn’t I? I always keep my promises. I’ll bring her back. Alive.”_

Castiel nodded to himself and fell silent after that, since Dean couldn’t actually see him. He did feel guilty for snapping at Dean so rudely but he decided not to think about it for the moment. There was no time to do so. 

While Dean was flying to Hawaii, Sam tried to keep Castiel distracted with random conversations but it didn’t settle his nervousness enough. Waiting for the assassin to land proved to be torturous, the time dragging on indefinitely, like he was stuck in some weird time lapse.

Dean logged back in half an hour later. He had to pull himself together, make sure he didn’t lose his lunch and bring his breathing back under control. His hands still would not stop shaking. It took everything in him to keep his voice steady while he got the instructions from Sam. ‘Go there, turn up there, password is this and that’ and then he was receiving an inconspicuous car and enough weapons for a small army, while Sam was wiring money into the guy’s account. He didn’t even know his name, not that it mattered. He was the weapons dealer of a friend’s of a friend’s of their contact, so he couldn’t care less.

_“I’m on my way.”_ He informed and Castiel inhaled deeply, not even realising he had stopped breathing at all. Sam tensed up as well, watching Dean’s transmitter signal on the screens. Their missions were never easy but this one felt much more dangerous. He really didn’t want to lose his brother, especially not after everything they’ve gone through. 

“Be careful.”

_“I always am, Samantha.”_

Sam smiled to himself, bittersweet, since there was always the possibility of these being the last words he ever heard from his brother. It felt worse, since he couldn’t be there as backup. His job was maybe the most important, reckon and research, but sometimes he resented his brother for wanting him safe so badly that he would go in without backup or a plan B, with Sam available only through an earpiece.

While Sam was introspecting, Dean got to the last known location and parked behind an inconspicuous bush. He got ready in tense silence, hiding knives and ammunition, and putting guns in the specially designed belts. _“I can see them. I’m going in. Over and out.”_ And with that, the line cut off from Dean’s side.

No matter how much Dean had reassured him, Sam couldn’t ignore the anxious ball that had tightly coiled his insides. He knew Dean like the back of his hand, although… the 4 years he had spent actively avoiding and ignoring his brother had taken their toll on his ability to read him. But still, this was Dean. And this was Dean’s ‘I don’t think I’ll make it out alive but I have to reassure my little brother’ voice. Which meant better safe than sorry.

*

Sam started off wondering if maybe he should do the merciful thing and switch off Castiel’s earbud but his decision was made for him when the gunshots started. Upon noticing the man was pale enough to put even a corpse to shame, he reached over and muted the sound for Castiel’s earbud. Sam was used to all the unpleasant noises, and once he cut Castiel off, he closed his eyes, letting the men’s screams, the shooting and the sounds of things breaking fade into the background. Soon he could also hear the children screaming in the distance. He tried to focus mostly on his brother’s voice, the one thing anchoring him to the reality of his brother still being alive. He needed the reassurance more than he had ever needed dad, or school, or Jess, since Dean had once again become his home. And losing Dean… well, that meant he was practically homeless. He couldn’t allow for that to happen.

_“Sam”_ Dean spoke up again a few minutes later through gasps and coughs. There was something raw and desperate in his voice, like he was on the edge of death but couldn’t even afford the time to admit to it. _“I found her, I’ve got- shh sweetheart, I know you’re scared but I’ll take you to your dad, okay? Alright. It’s gonna be alright.”_ Sam didn’t even realise that the slow, smooth cadence of Dean’s voice had helped him take a breath as well. But now that he thought about it, Dean had always been crazy good with kids. Maybe it came from having to take care of one his entire life, maybe it was just a talent, but what was certain was that Dean had managed to calm down a terrified little girl. And that had to be a skill. _“Castiel? Say hi to your girl.”_ Dean put a spare earbud in her ear and gave her a reassuring smile.

Everything was happening so fast, Sam didn’t even remember to turn on Castiel’s earbud to talk to his daughter, which is why Castiel didn’t hesitate to turn it on himself. His eyes grew almost comically large when he heard Dean's voice, saying his baby girl was safe. The relief he felt threatened to knock him under, but unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Well, when did something too good to be true actually proved to be good with no bad news attached?

One second they all thought they were in the clear. The next? It felt like every nightmare of theirs coming true.

_"Sam, there are more, I'm going back for the rest of the kids. Have Jody fly back with Claire, please-”_ his voice cut off abruptly, and Sam could only shout his name, but his brother could not respond. Dean had gotten ambushed, and the blow to the head was enough to take him out of commission on the way out of the house. 

Meanwhile, Cas was soothing his daughter, reassuring her that, not only had he sent Dean, but that she could trust him as well. His heart surged in hope, only for it to crash land when he heard his daughter’s screams and Dean go quiet after a startled shout of pain. They had gotten captured again. Cas turned to Sam, fear in his eyes, hoping Sam could tell him it was all a decoy and they were safe, but all he saw was Sam’s panicked expression. Castiel buried his face in his hands, the gesture barely muffling his heartbreaking sobs. 

***

That was what Dean woke up to, and he blinked his eyes open only to see a terrified Claire shaking him to wake him up. He sat up as best he could with his hands tied behind his back -apparently, they weren’t complete morons- and realised they were in a van. Shit. This was so not good. The other kids weren’t with them, which meant that 1.the kids were probably alive and safe -he would entertain no other thought- and on their way to getting rescued and 2. It would be easier for him and Claire to break out.

_“Sam?”_ he whispered urgently. _“Calm Castiel down. Claire can hear him and she’s panicking.”_

"Fuck, Dean!" Sam startled, once he heard his brother's voice again. He turned towards Castiel and put a gentle hand on his shoulder to get his attention. “Please. I need you to be calm. Claire needs you.”

Sam was grateful to see Cas nod in understanding as he forced himself to take slow, deep breaths. “Claire, sweety. I’m here.” he cleared his throat, hands clenching into fists. “I’m here. I promise. You’ll be okay.”

As Castiel worked on calming his daughter down and guiding her through breathing exercises, Dean focused on getting out of the ropes. He couldn’t move his hands much, but he figured out that they hadn’t found every knife he had on him. Sure, they took the ones from the obvious hiding places, but they didn’t find the one in the lining of his belt. It took some maneuvering -the yoga Sam kept waxing poetics about didn’t sound half as bad now- but he finally freed the knife from its sheath. He immediately set to work, sawing through the thick, sturdy ropes. It took some time, even with the really sharp and dangerous knife, in which he remained tense and prepared for any kind of attack, senses turned outward. Once the rope was frayed enough, he wasted no time in snapping it, even if he gave himself ropeburn. He immediately set to freeing the young child, and then patted himself down for his lock picking kit. He swore. Claire turned to him with wide eyes, knowing that was a bad word, but Dean payed her no mind. He had to find something to pick the lock with.

_“Papa, that man said some bad words, but he just cut the ropes. Is that good?”_

“Dean Winchester, you better not be corrupting my daughter.” Castiel said through the line.

_“Chill.”_ he said distractedly as he looked for something to pick the lock with. _“Claire, do you have a bobby pin?”_

“Uhm, yes.” she stammered, handing it to him. Dean took it, making fast work of the lock. 

The door gave way easily and opened, and he watched as the ground rolled under them at a fast speed. Dean picked Claire up and sighed. 

“Hold onto me, okay?” at her nod, he cradled her to his chest and jumped off, rolling to move the impact away from his legs. Once he was sure they were out of range from the rolling van, he got up from the bushes, looking the girl over.

“Dean, what’s going on?” Sam asked over the line.

_“We’re fine. But I need you to send Jody while I go for the other kids.”_

“You can’t be serious? You’re not going alone?”

_“We’re a little pressed on time, Sam. Send Jody. Hurry.”_

***

Meeting the Winchesters could be seen as both a blessing and a curse. Jody could remember the day clearly, even if it had been 5 years since. Coincidently, she had met Dean when he saved her son from a burning building. Unfortunately, a car accident took him 6 months later, but she was grateful to him for the time he had given her, nonetheless. They’d become good friends after that, and when he told her what he did for a living, Jody volunteered her skill set and her resources as sheriff in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

Dean hadn’t been very happy with her decision, wanting her safe, but Jody wanted to be useful. So they compromised, and she could help them on easier cases. Speaking of, her phone flashed brightly with a call from Sam.

“Jody here.”

_“Hey, Jody, we got a problem.”_

“What is it?”

_“Dean was on a mission, and there are some kids that need some rescuing and bringing back to their parents.”_

“Oh, alright. Where?” 

_“Hawaii.”_

“Ha- what the hell are you doing in Hawaii? And how am I supposed to get there fast enough, Sam?”

_“I’ve booked your next flight out.”_

“But it’d still take me 10 hours at least.”

_“Benny just landed. He has the backup team. You’re to get the kids home. Can I count on you to do that?”_

“Of course, but Sam-”

_“I have to go. Thank you, Jody.”_


	4. Chapter 4

As Sam was busy with calling, Dean gave Claire’s tear stained face a reassuring smile.

“Now, sweetheart, I’m going to take you somewhere safe and I want you to stay hidden until Jody comes for you. Okay?”

“Who’s Jody?” she hiccuped.

“A good friend. She’s going to get you back to your daddy, okay?”

“But I don’t know her…”

“Your daddy can vouch for her, and…” he looked around, looking for an idea. “How about we give you a codeword that she has to say? Would that work?”

She thought for a second, finger on her chin, before nodding in agreement. “Okay.”

“Okay. Okay, good. The code word can be… what would you like it to be?”

Claire looked around them, trying to think of a word that would work. “Oak tree.” she said as she pointed at a random tree in the distance.

Dean nodded. “Oak tree it is.” he picked her up once more. “Now let’s get you safe.”

Claire taking Dean’s hand without any hesitation was a good enough agreement for him to start moving again quickly. He looked for a good spot to hide the girl and helped her bury herself in the middle of some bushes after checking them for any dangerous plants.

“Okay love, daddy will be with you through the earbud but you have to stay as quiet as possible.”

The girl nodded at him and covered her mouth with her little hand.

Dean gave her a one last reassuring smile and ran off quickly, heading back towards the warehouse.

Cas kept talking to Claire the whole time softly, wanting his little girl to get safely out of this situation. _“It’s okay, baby. Those people will bring you home. Do as Dean says, close your eyes and don’t look if you’re scared. Daddy is here and soon you will be here with me, I promise you. Stay quiet, okay? We’re not crying now. We’ll cry later.”_

On his way through the bushes and towards the main road Dean spoke to Sam again. “Sam, Claire’s safe, track her earbud and help her first, then come for me.” His face was an impassive mask, he couldn’t let it show how scared he really was that he'd fail and that this sweet girl and the other kids would not go back to their parents.

_“Roger that.”_ Sam informed him and sent Claire’s location to Jody. Dean’s was sent to the backup team who was a dozen or so minutes behind him. Getting to Dean was of the utmost importance to them at the moment, since saving him meant saving those kids.

Dean was a few meters away from the warehouse when the van appeared again. As much as he tried to run from them or hide, they were much faster and much more well equipped with weapons, so they caught him in no time. They took him inside their hideout again and Dean had to bite his tongue to keep his emotions under control and to remain clear headed. He could feel anger burning through him like a red-hot fire as he saw the poor, frightened children there, held in cages like some kind of- he couldn’t even finish the thought.

“I swear to God, if you hurt them, I will tear you all apart limb for limb.” Dean growled but it didn’t even make the kidnappers flinch. They knew that he was powerless for now, since any attempt to escape could mean pain for the children. They dragged him to another room and tied him to a chair. He clenched his teeth and his body shook as he muffled his own screams once the torture started.

***

Castiel sat there, not even realising he’d been holding his breath the whole time, terrified as he was of everything that could and would happen in there. "Maybe we should send the police in there as well?" He asked Sam quietly and a bit naively. His earbud was switched so he could only hear and communicate with Claire. He had no idea what was happening to Dean but judging from Sam’s pained expression, it wasn’t good at all.

"We can't." Sam said, his voice more shaky than before. "The moment we do, they're gonna detonate the building. It's what happened the last time the police got involved with this ring, somewhere in North Carolina."

"What?" Castiel’s eyes widened in fear. "How... How could they? There are kids in there!" He hissed, shaking his head. He couldn't believe all of that really happened. It felt like all of that was somewhere aside from him, disconnected from himself and his family. It couldn’t really be… real, could it?

Sam shook his head. "I'm sending it reinforcements from our team. They’re gonna be there any minute now..." He swallowed when he heard the pained grunt on the other side. There was only one person he could hear right now and it was Dean. “Where the hell are they- Dean!" The scream of agony that sounded made him sick. Dean never screamed. Not ever. What had they done to him? For Sam it was simply agony to sit at the computer and listen to his brother get hit and tortured. But suddenly the grunts and screams stopped. "Dean? Dean?!"

Since he couldn’t hear, Castiel watched Sam expectantly, wanting any information he could get. "What's going on?"

"He's not answering. Dean? Dean!" Sam panicked.

_“‘M here, stop babbling, Samantha.”_ Dean mumbled softly, voice lilting with pain and exhaustion.

“Oh god, are you okay? What happened?” Sam exhaled deeply, calming down slightly. Just enough to keep his voice even. No need to worry his brother about his own state of mind.

_“Do you really want to know? Is Castiel off the line?”_

Sam glanced slightly at Castiel and nodded, even though Dean couldn't see. "Yes. And yes."

_“Hot poker through the shoulder, metal rods through muscles…”_ He said quietly even though he was alone in the room. _“They poured boiling water over me. Took me by surprise.”_

“Fuck, Dean... Are you alone now? I tracked your earbud, our reinforcements are on their way there.”

_“'I don't know how long I'll be alone. The kids are all in some damn cages in the other room... You take them out first.”_ he intoned meaningfully. He knew his brother would want to get him first, but the children were the priority. He would allow for nothing else.

Sam sighed deeply and rubbed his face. “You are all getting out soon."

_“Sam, promise me. Take the kids out, make sure they're all out. After that come for me.”_

Sam closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He hated doing this but he knew he had to. “I promise.”

_“Thank you. They're coming.”_

“'Hang in there, okay? You'll be out soon.”

Dean's only answer was a grunt of pain.

Castiel watched him with terror in his eyes, soothing Claire -and probably himself too- the best he could.

Sam was at the verge of breaking down but he knew his brother needed him. The next thing we could hear were screams and gunshots again, but this time it was a sign their team got in the building and started fighting with the kidnappers. Hearing that and then hearing Benny asking Dean if he's okay through Dean’s com was the best thing he'd heard all day.

***

Dean gathered the remains of his strength and, taking advantage of the commotion the team made, he jumped up and attacked the men, having loosened his bonds for this exact moment. He killed one, got tasered by another but he didn't let that stop him. He heard the team moving in and taking the children out. Luckily he was the only one in the building when the bomb went off. And that's the last thing he remembered.

***

Castiel didn't let himself feel happy or relieved this time once he heard the children were out. He needed to take his girl in his arms first and check if she was okay. That was his main priority. He’d lost her too many times ever since she’d been kidnapped that he couldn’t trust anything other than his own eyes. He watched as Sam desperately called his brother a few times. He didn't know what happened but it couldn't be good.

Sam had turned on Castiel’s comm to the entire network, instead of keeping it with his daughter only once the team had Claire safe in one of their cars, and they both heard the hesitant _'Sam?'_ from Benny.

Cas was about to speak up but stopped. Sam asked hesitantly. “Yes, Benny?”

_“This is... Dean was in the building when it exploded. They’re taking him to the hospital but... It's bad. The children are all on their way to the airport but Dean can't be moved.”_

Sam’s heart stopped and he got up from the chair so fast it sent it flying to the floor with a resounding crash. He hurried to a drawer, pulling out his duffel as he started packing. “I’ll be there in a few hours.” he promised.

_“Sam, no, you can’t.”_ Benny pleaded. _“Dean risked his life for those kids, you need to help them first. He would never forgive you if you forwent the kids in favor of visiting him in the hospital. Plus, I’ll be there with him, so I’ll keep you up to date until you can get here yourself."_

Sam froze, mind going a mile a minute as he thought desperately. He didn’t want to leave his brother in such a dire situation, but the kids needed him more right now. Benny was right, after all, Dean would kill him dead. Then revive him and kill him again. “Okay, okay, yeah…”

_“They’re landing in a few hours, Jody and Meg are with them.”_

“Alright, got it. I’ll make arrangements so they can be taken to their families as soon as possible once they land.” his voice was strong, but he didn’t feel strong at all. He startled when the voice sounded behind him. He’d forgotten Castiel was there at all.

“Can I do anything to help?” the man asked, and all Sam could do was shake his head ‘no’ and collapse back in a chair. “No… no, your daughter will be here in a few hours. Just focus on that.”

Castiel nodded, reticent to leave the matter alone. “You’re right… what about Dean?”

“What about him?” he asked with a humorless laugh, one that seemed to be dragged out from his throat and through his teeth. “I don’t know… you heard Benny. He was in the middle of the fucking explosion… who could even survive that?”

“If anyone could, it’s Dean.” at Sam’s defeated look when he raised his head, Castiel tried for a small, reassuring smile. “He’s stubborn, right? He needs to survive it so he can meet all the kids he saved. I have to thank him personally. So he will wake up for sure.”

Sam lowered his eyes, visibly taking in a deep breath. “I should start getting everything ready for the children’s coming home.”

“Will we be picking them up from the airport?”

“Yeah… yeah, they’re… they’re landing in three hours.” he breathing in once, slowly, before releasing as he cleared his throat. “I’ll look through their records and…” it was painfully obvious that he had no idea what to do with himself, especially since he could no longer go to his brother for advice.

“I have an idea…” Castiel started speaking once more, unable to stand the defeated look on the young man’s face. They, both him and his brother, have helped him through so much already, and he felt indebted to them both. Maybe he couldn’t save Dean physically, but he could calm his brother down, and that had to count for something, right? “Hey, how about we go to the airport, get those kids some help so you can go to your brother. We should probably call the police, right? Maybe they can find the other parents?”

“Yeah, we should… I’ll get right to that…”

“I could help, if you need me to do anything?” he offered, even though he had no idea of how such legalities worked.

“No… no, that’s alright. God, I must seem so unprofessional to you…” he whispered.

“No, you don’t. I understand, really. It’s why I want to help. Dean saved my little girl… I don’t think there’s anything I could ever do in the remainder of my life to repay him.”

“It’s our job. Dean just prefers to use the hands-on approach.”

“I know, but I’m still endlessly grateful. He’s not an ordinary investigator… is he?”

"Guess not. But you don't have to deal with the fallout. It's fine. We'll reunite you with your daughter and you can be on your way." It's what always happened. Nobody gave a damn what happened to the people who risked their lives, they only cared about their families. And Dean put himself in harm's way over and over to save them -some kind of penance for his earlier years.

"But I mean it, Sam. I'll never forget this. I'll do anything to repay you both. He…” Cas took a breath, cleared his throat. Swallowed. “He risked his own life. I believe he's trained and has a varied skillset since he had so many good, no, hell, great reviews from his previous customers, but he's still a living person."

Sam looked away, embarrassingly close to tears as he was reminded of his brother. Who was hurt and alone under a different name in a random hospital. "We should go…” he cleared his throat once more, discreetly wiping at his eyes. “To the airport. They're on their way to landing."

Castiel nodded quickly and grabbed his stuff, buzzing with nervous energy over seeing his daughter again. “I’ll track and call all the parents on our way. It’s the least I can do for you, Sam.”

Eventually Sam gave in. As he drove, he gave Castiel quick instructions on how to find people and match their faces to the files in his database. Once they got the pictures from Benny, it was smooth sailing, as it took Castiel no time at all to find the parents’ phone numbers; by the time Sam parked near the gate, Castiel had managed to contact all the parents and tell them where to go. By that time, Dean’s team would be long gone, like any self-respecting superheroes.

A few minutes after they arrived, the plane landed and Jody herded the shaken children away from the other people and to where they were sitting in wait. While Castiel had been waiting anxiously, Sam had contacted the police and convinced them to take the children into their care until the parents arrived.

It was only then that it hit him. His daughter was in the crowd of children, and he was going to see her again. He perked up and looked through the crowd, needing to see his little girl. A few moments later, there was a thin, shaky voice shouting ‘Daddy’ and he turned just in time to catch an armful of frightened daughter. Castiel sobbed in relief, holding her tightly to his chest, cradling her close. He was crying, he suddenly realised, face hidden in dusty hair, but he didn’t care. He was so relieved, he couldn’t help but call her name softly over and over. “Claire… my sweet baby…”

Claire was sobbing in his arms, holding onto him like a lifeline. She had buried her face in his neck, softly mumbling ‘daddy’ over and over again, little hands clutching onto his soft cotton shirt. His presence and scent were reassuring, soothing her with memories of bedtime stories and warm hugs.

Castiel’s heart shattered as he watched his daughter sob in his arms like she was. He cradled her close, stroking her hair and rocking her gently, like he had when she was a baby. “Are you okay, princess?” he asked her softly, so only they could hear.

“I don't want to go again. Please don't let me go again.” She mumbled in his neck. “Daddy…” she sniffled, wiping her nose with her sleeve. “I don’t wanna be without you ever again.” she took her head out of its hiding spot, where she was safe, to look at him. She touched his face with gentle hands to make absolute sure he was real, and she was home.

Cas smiled sadly and nodded. “I will never let you go again, I promise. Never.” he’d said it with such conviction and quiet reassurance that she couldn’t help but nod. He must have been telling the truth, certainly.

She hid her face once more, feeling her loving, caring father pull her close. She closed her eyes and let his quiet voice calm her down. Castiel continued to talk to her, nonsense in a hushed voice, reassuring her over and over that she was home, she was safe, she was okay. He hoped it’d be enough for now, but he knew that such a trauma would probably keep her up for many nights to come. All he could do now was to be there for her. They’d deal with the rest later.

“I wanna go home, daddy.”

“We will, and soon, okay? But we need to go to the hospital first.”

“But why?” she sniffled.

“Because I want to make sure you’re alright, princess.”

“I don’t want to!” she shouted, starting to cry. “I want to go home with you and snuggle on the couch and-and-” Her words were muffled with sobs.

Castiel cursed mentally as he thought of what to do. “Shh, sweetheart, it’ll only be a few minutes.”

“No!”

“Claire…” he said patiently. “It’s just so I make sure you’re okay. I’ll even buy you ice cream afterwards, alright?”

“With cookies and hot fudge?”

“Alright, with cookies and hot fudge.”

She sniffled and Castiel wiped her tears away with a gentle smile. “It’s gonna be okay, you’ll see.”

“Will you stay?”

“Of course I will.”

“Pinky promise?”

“Pinky promise.”

***

Watching such an obvious display of affection, Sam thought it best to leave them to it. He was sure Castiel could find his way back home and plus, he had a brother to return to.

He bought a ticket to the next fly out, managing to catch the next plane for Hawaii. By the time he got to the hospital, the entire time he spent on the road was all but a blur of motion and color that he wouldn’t be able to recall later.

It was only when Benny got up to greet him that he realised he’d actually arrived.

“How you doing, brother?” Benny asked gently, as if he was talking to a spooked deer. Maybe he was.

“I’m not… I’m not sure. I don’t know. How is he?” he asked suddenly, trying to change the subject. Benny let him.

“He’s in a coma.” Benny said softly. “Three broken ribs, a broken finger, a punctured lung, internal bleeding and a twisted ankle. But they say that he probably got hit on the back of the head by a falling beam and that’s what caused his brain to shut down. And the other injuries certainly didn’t help.”

Sam collapsed in a chair, letting his head fall in his hands. “Fuck. Do they know when he’s gonna wake up?”

Benny shook his head. “It’s unclear if he ever will.” he whispered. “They say his chances of waking up are below 25% and not having any lasting damage are below 10%.”

“Oh my God…” he drew back as if it had been a physical hit, which it might as well have been with how bad it had hurt.

“I’m sorry brother.”

Sam gave a shuddering sigh. “Do you... do you mind if...”

“I’ll go get some food.” He nodded. “Take your time.”

Sam took a deep breath, walking in on shaky feet. He sucked in a breath when he saw Dean, laying in the bed, looking for all the world small and vulnerable. He collapsed in the nearby chair, knees giving out from under him.

“My god, Dean... what have they done to you?” He noticed the bandages running down his shoulder that hid the wound from the hot poker and he shivered unintentionally. He couldn't accept the situation, the fact that Dean might not wake up.

When he was young, he'd taken Dean for granted. He'd accepted the fact that he'd always be there, and he didn't give it much thought otherwise. Hell, he'd even resented Dean a little for the borderline controlling care for him. But now he understood why his brother sometimes didn't let him buy toys or books or other such things. Or worse.

_"Dean, please, I really want the stickers."_

_"Sammy, c'mon..."_ Dean sighed.

_"You're so mean! Dad isn't even here, why can't we buy the stickers?"_

_"Alright, take the stickers."_ he resigned.

_It was a few hours later when Sam, while putting the stickers in his album carefully, remembered to ask. "Dean, why didn't you have any of the macaroni?"_

_"Because I wasn't hungry, I've already eaten." Dean gave him a reassuring smile._

Only at college, while in the grocery store did Sam think back to that time and realised that they had initially taken 2 boxes of mac & cheese off the shelf, but had only walked out with one. And that Sam had eaten for three days out of that one box. So it must have meant that Dean had gone hungry, _for days_ , so that Sam could have those stickers. It brought tears to his eyes to think of that again as he waited at his brother’s bedside. How could he have been so selfish? How did he not realise what sacrifices his brother was making for him? And the answer was as heartbreaking as it was obvious. Dean hadn’t wanted him to know.

Time and time again he was floored by the amount of love and care he received from his brother. Dean had always respected his wishes, protected him from dad and took the punishment himself. And he’d been _so ungrateful_. So, so ungrateful.

As he watched his brother breathe, his mind couldn’t help but wander back to the past. And he hated himself a little more whenever he thought of all the things Dean had done for him. Like that time he came home after a few hours, bruised and bloody but happy that they had money once more. And Sam had scoffed, thinking Dean had gotten in a fight after he had gotten the money, when Dean had actually stolen them and gotten hurt for it.

Or the nights when he came home quiet and subdued, when he’d lock himself in the bathroom for hours, coming out with puffy eyes and red skin. And he never understood, until much later when his roommate, who was studying psychology, told him of rape victims, of how they always felt unclean, of how they’d lock themselves away and pretend nothing happened for their loved ones. And Sam never made the connection, surely his brother would have told him… never would have, either, were it not for a flippant comment from his brother.

_“You do realise that prostitutes chose their profession, right?”_

_“Trust me, Sammy, most of the time, they don’t have a choice.”_

_“So why don’t they get out?”_

_“If only it were that easy…”_

How would he have known what it’s like, how could he talk with such certainty of a situation he shouldn’t have any knowledge about? The day Sam caught on he spent it being violently sick. Because he now knew where the money, all in singles, came from.

And sometimes it was something as simple as sharing a blanket since Sam was cold. Or just giving him his blankets and sleeping with nothing but a jacket on, on the coldest of days.

Sam wondered how he could have been so selfish. He had lied to himself countless times about Dean, ignoring the signs. It was easier this way, to leave Dean behind in his search for bigger, brighter things. And how he had left…

_“I can’t believe you!”_

_“What the hell, Dean. This is my decision. It’s my life. I can do whatever the hell I want.”_

_“By disregarding everything we’ve been taught? What dad taught us?”_

_“What did he teach us? How to run away from our problems?”_

_“Like you’re doing right now?”_

_“Screw you.” Sam whispered viciously. “You’re just like dad. You don’t get it.”_

Dean had been too surprised to answer, and Sam had taken that opening and ran with it, slamming the motel door behind him, ignoring the broken look he had noticed on his brother’s face.

And for over 4 years, he hadn’t heard anything from his brother. And so he ignored the feeling in his gut. No news is good news, right? Why should he worry? Dean could very well take care of himself. And then Bobby called. And Dean hadn’t.

The day he got the call that Dean was in the hospital after returning from war -and why hadn’t anyone told him Dean had gone to fucking war- he rushed to the hospital, making a 10 hours long trip in 4 and a half. He still had no idea how he had managed. But standing at his brother’s bedside while Bobby told him of how Dean had gotten there… and seeing the look of utter amazement on Dean’s face when he woke up… it had broken something inside him, making him choke. It was the day he decided it was time to stop running away from Dean. And start running towards him instead.


End file.
